Kura (A Remake)
by Echo The Fangirl
Summary: Bakura is a demon who just wanted to be left alone, so when Lord Pegasus moves all the fairytale creatures onto his land he is forced to set of on an adventure with the increasingly annoying Yami and Marik to rescue the Prince Ryou, but Ryou has a secret. And Bakura may be developing feelings for a certain someone. Yaoi. Rated for language. Based off Shrek. Originally Kurai-Onni's.
1. The Demon, The Magician, and The Hybrid

Hello, this is my first story~ Though, it's a remake of Kurai-Onii's "Kura", so it's not mine, all credit goes to her! Please go read her's I'm sure it's way better than this one~

-Echo

* * *

Once upon a time there was a beautiful prince, but he had an enchantment on him of a fearful sort which could only be broken by love's first kiss. He was locked away in a castle, guarded by a terrible monster. Many brave knights attempted to free him from this terrible prison but none prevailed, he waited in the monster's keep. In the highest room of the tallest tower for his true love and true love's first kiss.

Bakura shook his head and his white hair swung back and forth, muttering a ,"Like hell", before ripping out the page he was on in the book with his razor-sharp claws. A deep sigh escaped his pale lips as he turned his scarlet eyes up at the wooden shack that stood proudly in the center of the darkest forest that danced with shadows both day and night. A rumor was spread throughout a nearby village that sat near the forest. And according to this rumor, a creature wicked to the core resided there. He was like a pale shadow with his wild white hair, near ivory skin, and crazed blood red eyes. But, Bakura loved to hear the rumors and stories, he liked the feeling of being feared and it kept strangers away so he could have his privacy. A smirk making its way to his face, he let the torn page flutter carelessly to the ground and made his way back to the his home. As he did so, his clawed hand patted an old wooden sign that had the words, "Beware demon!" in a sticky red liquid and right below it was a rather crudely drawn picture of Bakura's head, his fanged teeth showing and his hair as wild as ever.

…

A united cry rang from the men of the nearby village, the flames on their torches making the ends of their pitchforks glow in the darkness. They were going over the last details for their plan to capture Bakura, though some were obviously braver than others as some near the edge of the circle shivered and trembled in fear. Even those that didn't had glimmers of worry in their eyes.

Their feet pounded against the forest floor, making whatever few animals were there scamper away in fright. Serious and determined expressions adorned their faces as they knocked over and trampled the signs Bakura had put up, cracking sounds coming from them as the men stepped on them, splinters scattering the ground. They didn't have second thoughts about it, though a small group of the men straggled behind the rest, not wanting to be a part of the search party, but knew how greatly their reputations would be effected if they stayed behind.

…

The demon couldn't help but lick his pale lips as his red eyes stared at the bloody steak that laid in front of him, the juices spreading out on the plate. Just as his fork was about to pierce his meal, the sound of snapping twigs and splintering wood forced him to snap his red gaze from his food to the window. A growl rumbling in his throat he angrily pushed out his chair and stomped to the window, his hair a bright contrast from the murky darkness. He narrowed his eyes to see the smallest sparks of fire floating among the trees and foliage.

The snarling noise he made faded away and he tilted his head ever so slightly, thinking of how he could mess with the villagers. He could use a little fun, it had been a while since anyone had come to "visit" him. He managed to sneak through the woods without being spotted, as he knew the twists and turns like the back of his hand, and followed stealthily behind the group.

He watched with glinting eyes as they reached the edge of the trees and peered at his home through the spindly and ugly branches.

"Do you think it's in there?" one of the men asked in a hushed whisper, his eyes wide.

No one truly got to answer as another male, brave yet foolish, declared, "Let's go get it!" Just as he stepped forward, an arm blocked his way, the owner of said arm giving him a glare, along with the harsh warning of, "Stop! Do you even know what that foul creature could do to you?! He'll grind your bones to make his bread!" Before he could say anything else, there was a loud, booming cackle like thunder that erupted from behind them, making every man jump and spin around in shock.

"Interesting idea, but I'm afraid that would be giants, dumbass." Every step Bakura took, the men took one back. A sick and threatening grin stretched across his face, his fangs glinting in the silvery moonlight as he continued, "Demons are much worse; we'll drink ever drop of blood in your body and pick your bones clean of every piece of meat." He then added in a casual manner, "It's actually quite good with toast."

One brave soul took a few steps forward and swung out the torch in his hand at the unfazed demon like a sword, shouting, "Stay back! I'm warning ya!" Bakura simply smirked again and blew out the flame on the torch as if it were nothing more than a simple candle.

"...boo." At the demon's "threat", every man screamed in terror at almost the exact same time, their hands shaking and dropping their weapons to the ground, scrambling away from the creature and fleeing into the brush. A quiet but sadistic laugh shaking his body, the thin demon called out after them, "And stay out!"

Hearing a fluttering sound and a flicker of beige in the corner of his vision, he turned and picked up a flier off the ground near a few spare pitchforks. He raised an eyebrow and, thanks to the fact that he was a creature of the night, could easily read it as if it were daylight. A gnome was drawn onto the aged-looking paper and in large letters above it read, "Wanted, fairytale creatures." Scoffing and rolling his glowing eyes, he easily crumpled up the paper and threw it carelessly behind him, muttering out, "Bloody humans..." before making his way back home, to where he could hopefully eat his steak.

…

The two pairs of purple eyes watched with fear as several unique but wanted creatures were shoved into cages and wagons, being sent to who knows here. A unicorn was practically being shoved into a large wagon by a pair of men in armor and there were three bears trapped in cages. Yami, the owner of the darker shade of purple eyes, lightly tugged at the binds on his wrists and glanced at the brunette woman who held two ropes in her hand, the other rope tied to his tan companion, Marik.

"Tea, please don't do this!" pleaded Yami, staring hopefully at said woman, "We'll be good from now on!" When he was ignored, Marik chimed in, having the same worried look on his face, "Yeah, untie us!" This only earned him a smack to the face and he yelped in surprise.

"Shut up!" Tea demanded, her blue eyes turning into daggers at she glared at the two.

The guard who sat at the wooden table shouted, "Next!", his eyes looking expectant. Tea instantly dragged the two boys after her and stopped in front of the table, Yami and Marik sharing terrified looks.

"What have ya got?"

Tea grinned proudly at the question and answered with a sing-song voice, "I've got a magician and a hybrid~" "That's worth quite a bit of gold..." the man nodded slightly, turning his cold gaze onto the two creatures in question, "...if you can prove it, that is."

"Of course I can!" the woman also turned to look at Yami and Marik, "Now Marik, show the nice man your ears and tail." The blond shrunk back, keeping his gaze on anything but her. Annoyed, she turned her attention to the shorter male, "Yami, cast a spell...come on you little bastards!" Her voice rose as neither boy obeyed, obviously straining against the rough ropes to get away from the fed up brunette.

After a moment of silence, the man without a helmet rolled his eyes, "I've heard enough out of you, take her away." At the command, the two knights behind him rounded the small table and grabbed her small shoulders, forcing her grip on the ropes to lighten before she was pulled away all together as she was dragged away, still fighting. "We don't have to listen to her anymore!" Marik happily cheered, letting a pair of golden cat ears spring up from his wild hair and the tail slip out from his belt loops, waving around happily.

The man jumped up from his seat in shock and pointed, "He's a hybrid! Get him!"

Yami shot a nasty glare at the hybrid and pulled out an ebony staff from behind him, shouting in a deep voice despite his height, "Marik, you moron! Why do I have to do everything?!" As he waved his staff around in small circles, a sparkling red magic surrounded both teenagers and they began to float upwards until they were out of reach of the knights below.

"A magician!" cried the man by the table, angrily slamming a fist onto the wood.

Without thinking, Marik clung to the the shorter male's arm and cried out mockingly, "It's sad that the devil woman was telling you the truth! We're outta here, bitches~!"

Yami's face lit up with panic, his eyes widening, "Marik, stop that! You'll make me lose-" Just then, he was cut off as the crimson aura quickly faded away and they fell to the ground, grunting on contact with the hard ground.

"Seize them!"

Almost instantly recovering from the painful fall, Marik gripped Yami's forearm and took off into the forest like a colorful blur, the knights right on their tails. As they ran, the magician hissed, glaring harshly at the hybrid, "Why do you always have to ruin things, Marik?!" "Ha~ Because it's more fun that way!" Marik replied in a sing song voice, not seeming to take it as an insult like most would. He glanced over his shoulder, and seeing that the armored knights were gaining, he picked up his pace as much as he could, still dragging poor Yami behind him. But it didn't last long as he suddenly ran straight into something hard, knocking him backwards and nearly falling on top of Yami.

While they were dazed and in pain, as soon as they heard one of the knight's voices yell, "Get back here!" they scrambled and cowered behind whoever they had literally bumped into. As the knights came into clear view, they stopped in their tracks as they spotted Bakura standing in front of the runaways, his eyes narrowed dangerously.

"You there, demon." the leader stated, visibly shaken just by the sight of the taller demon.

"What?"

Gulping nervously, the man pulled what seemed to be a scroll, a large blue 'P' painted onto the back, and nervously read, "By the order of Lord Pegasus, I am to take all three of you into custody..." He trailed off as he met the demon's crimson glare, "Oh, really? You and what army?" Confused, the man glanced over his shoulder to see that his knights had abandoned him and all their swords and shields had been dropped. Casting one more look at Bakura, he gave out a terrified cry and rushed away from the three, nearly tripping on everything as he fled like a gazelle from a lion.

Bakura rolled his eyes, acting like chasing off a group of brave, trained knights was child's play, and began to retreat deeper into the woods. Marik's face was alive with shock before he looked back at Bakura and happily cried, chasing after the pale demon, "Wow, you're awesome!" The white-haired male hesitantly stopped in his tracks and gave the hybrid an odd look, "Me?"

"Yes, you~ That was amazing how you scared off those guards!" the blonde continued, gushing praise at Bakura before turning to Yami and nudging him, "It's good to be free, isn't it Yami~?" The magician didn't answer so Marik just continued to chatter happily to Bakura, eventually to the point where the demon wasn't even sure what he was saying anymore. Barely managing to suppress a growl, Bakura placed a pale hand over the tan male's mouth, but to his astonishment, Marik kept talking, though it was muffled, and didn't even seem to notice.

He finally snapped and yanked his hand away, a growl mixed in with his questions, "Why don't you go celebrate your freedom somewhere else? What about your own friends?"

"...but Yami is my only friend..."

Yami narrowed his eyes and crossed his arms, mumbling under his breath, "I would use that term loosely-" "Well I"m not going back out there!" Marik declared loudly, his tail bristling at the thought of being chased by those knights again. Then, an idea popped in his head and it instantly escaped his mouth, "Oh, I know! We'll go with you~ With your scariness, Yami's magic, and my dashing good looks, we could rule the world!"

Fed up with all the nonsense, Bakura took in a deep breath and spun around, snarling like a beast, fangs and eyes flashing dangerously that would send horror through anyone's body or scare them to death. Marik stared stupidly at the demon, purple eyes wide, tail swaying limply and ears lowered against his head. Satisfied that he had frightened him off, Bakura smirked and continued on his way, passing under a slanted log that was stuck between two ledges.

However, he had been wrong as Marik used his cat-like muscles to leap on top of log and peer his head down so his face was right in Bakura's, his blond tail hanging from the other side. Bakura stopped, nearly jumping and scowled as Marik began to speak, yet again, "That was really scary! And if that doesn't get rid of them your attitude certainly will! Seriously dude you're a pretty big jerk. Yami can be really mean too, like that one time when he stole all my clothes while I was taking a bath in the river and I had to run through the town butt-"

Bakura roughly put his hand over Marik's moving mouth again and demanded, eyes glaring, "Why are you following me?" The bronze-skinned hybrid jumped down from the log and stood back up properly, simply pointing at Yami, "Because I don't want to be all by myself with him." He seemed to pout slightly, like a child, "He's always casting spells on me and hitting me..." Ignoring any other complaints from Marik, he glanced back at the magician who hadn't spoken much throughout the whole encounter, "How do you put up with him?"

"I tune him out as best I can." was Yami's simple answer, looking exasperated and giving a small shrug, still holding his staff from earlier.

Still hearing Marik whining about all the pranks Yami had pulled on him, Bakura spun back around and shouted loud enough to cut off the hybird, "Shut up! Look at me you dumbass, what am I?!" He stretched out his arms and stared at Marik, his eye seeming to twitch slightly.

A thoughtful look crossed Marik's tan face and he looked the demon up and down carefully, having a hand under his chin. His tail waved around until it stopped in a shape similar to a question mark and he moved his hand from under his chin, his palm facing up and his fingers curled slightly, "Really pale?"

"No, I'm a demon!" Bakura retorted, staring at him like he was stupid and continued with his explanation, "You know, like, steal your soul and drink your blood. Doesn't that bother you...?"

After sharing a quick glance, both Marik and Yami said in serious voices, "Nope."

"...really?"

"Yep." Yami gave Bakura a nod, his eyes showing that he couldn't care less.

Marik gave the demon a genuine, wide smile and cheerily asked, "I like you man, what's your name~?"

Bakura stared at the two, still getting over the shock of their indifference and continued down the trail, the two still following close behind him, "Uh...Bakura." "Bakura? What kind of a name is that?" Marik asked, raising an eyebrow and putting a hand to his hip. Yami gave him a warning glare before the trio reached the top of a grassy hill, staring down at Bakura's home. "Who lives in that dump?" came Marik's rude question, nose wrinkled in disgust.

"That's my home." Bakura said, his calm voice holding a dangerous tone before easily heading down the hill, passing by the sparse flowers that grew. "And it's beautiful! I love the way you decorated the place." Marik perked up, trying to hide his dislike for the rundown place and glanced over at a boulder that laid nearby, "I like that boulder. That is a nice boulder~" He was suddenly hit upside the head by Yami, who was still glowering at him.

"Moron."

"Jerk."

"Dumbass."

"Bastard."

Bakura snarled as they reached the bottom of the hill and glanced back at them, "Quiet! You're both annoying as hell-" His face was twisted, he had never been more irritated by any two people than right now.

"Can we stay with you?" Yami asked suddenly, wide-eyes staring at Bakura.

"What?"

"Can we stay with you, please?" Yami repeated slowly and hesitantly, almost in a pleading manner, hoping the demon would agree yet knew he wouldn't.

"No." Bakura grunted.

"Oh come on, we can't go back out there!" Yami yelled, suddenly grabbing Bakura's arm tightly, stopping him and was now begging. "Don't leave me alone with him, I'll go crazy! If I go on a psychotic rampage, it'll be on your head!"

"Fine!" Bakura loudly sighed and put a hand to his head, feeling a headache coming on and not able to argue anymore, "You can stay for one night, now get off me!" Yami relaxed instantly and released his arm, pushing past the pale demon and into the house. Marik also rushed in and acted like it was his own house, practically curling up on the nearest chair, while Yami asked, "Where do we sleep?"

Glaring at Marik for a moment, he answered in a cold voice, "Outside."

Yami blinked in surprise, looking like he was going to object for a moment, but he was smart enough to stop himself and nodded hesitantly, "Oh...that's okay, I guess..." The magician's voice trailed off and headed back outside, Marik sadly slinking off the chair, he had grown attached to it in the few seconds he was on it.

"Goodnight..." Marik's voice was sad and weak, though Bakura took no notice and slammed the door shut behind the two.

Sighing in annoyance, hearing the two carry on a whining conversation outside his door. The demon shook his head and hoped they would shut up soon.

Outside, Yami was frowning and leaned against the wall next to the door, his head on his shoulder and eyes drooping. Marik was curled up similar to how a cat would, his head on his hands and tail laying tiredly over his thigh. "...it's so cold..." the hybrid complained and tried to curl up tighter in an attempt to keep warm. Yami nodded, feeling himself shiver and goosebumps covering his arms. He was snapped to full awareness as Marik tried to cling to his arm, but he scowled and yanked it from his grip, "I'm cold but not that cold."

The two said nothing more and eventually drifted off to sleep, the shadows on the edge of the trees beginning to move.


	2. Unexpected Visitors and Lord Pegasus

Hello again, and I'm sorry for any confusion, but I forgot to mention that Marik is Yami Marik, and Malik (who will be appearing later), is Marik/Malik Ishtar. I apologize for any misunderstandings~ Oh, and I own nothing. With that, let's continue!

-Echo

* * *

All was quiet as Bakura sat down in front of his bloody dinner, all kinds of meat lay before the demon and he picked up the nearby bottle of whiskey, taking a strong swig of the drink. His eyes seemed to move on their own as they glanced back over to his door, no longer hearing Marik and Yami whining about the cold. He shook his head to shake off any guilty thoughts, hoping they had just fallen asleep, and sank his teeth into a steak, ripping off a piece and letting the juices run down his chin.

The demon didn't notice Marik's wild hair as he peeked through the window, giving his head a sad shake, the earrings he wore flashing as the faint moonlight hit them, and plopped down beside Yami. He again curled up while Yami also decided to lay down, using his arm as a pillow of sorts. Marik's ears flattened sadly and he sighed, starting to shiver in the cold again.

Bakura growled and put down his fork, hearing a clatter. Assuming the reason he hadn't heard anything from Marik and Yami was because they had somehow managed to sneak in, he gave out an irritated shout, "I thought I told you two to stay outside!"

"We are outside!" came Yami's voice from near the door, his deep voice laced with annoyance.

Confused but skeptical as he didn't hear Marik reply, his flashing red eyes scanned every crack and cranny in the room, watching for a glimmer of gold or hearing a swish of a tail.

"This is nice, not home, but nice."

He heard a voice, it was too small to be Marik's and he spun around, looking wildly for the source, "Who was that-?" "Up here, dude." The voice automatically answered. With that, Bakura turned his gaze upwards, his red eyes widening as he spotted to fairies flying above him. One had dark brown hair that came to a point, a yellow magic surrounding while other, which had a long black ponytail, radiated with green magic that matched his eyes.

His narrowed eyes sharpening into a glare, Bakura demanded, "What the hell are you doing?"

"Chillin'." shrugged the brown-haired one, giving a casual shrug.

A growl rumbled in the demon's throat and his fangs flashed dangerously, but before he could do anything, a booming crash interrupting him and making him spin around. A group of dwarfs had pushed a glass case, containing what appeared to be a dead girl inside, onto his dining table, shoving his dinner off and crashing to the floor. His mind reeling from all the sudden activity, Bakura placed his arms on the container and began to press against it, "No, no! Dead broad off the table!"

"Where else are we supposed to put her?" one of them defied, most likely the leader, "The bed's taken!" Bakura blinked stupidly at the short creature before rushing over to a black curtain and pushing it to the side, revealing a wolf in a pink nightgown reading a book, relaxing in his bed. The demon went from confused to angry as the canine looked at him dully, "What?" Lips curled in a snarl, he snatched up his uninvited guest by the back of his shirt and roughly dragging him to the front door. Angrily opening the door, he tossed the wolf outside, but his eyes widened as he saw that his yard was filled with witches, gnomes, and whatever other fairytale creatures you could think of. Among them, Marik and Yami looked around in confusion, though the hybrid looked happy as well at the thought of not being alone anymore.

Shaking with anger, the demon stomped his foot and howled at everyone, fangs gleaming and eyes glowing, making him look even more dangerous than usual, "What the fuck are you doing in my swamp?!"

As his deep voice echoed through the trees, every creature froze in their tracks and stared at Bakura, eyes fearful and bodies shaking. Some rushed for cover inside the tents that had been put up and fairies and gnomes tried to hide behind taller creatures. One poor witch even fainted.

The pale demon pushed away those that were far too close to his home for comfort, growling, "Get out, just keep moving!" However, some of the smaller visitors managed to run past him and into his house, slamming the door behind them. "No, not there you bastards!" As he yanked the locked door, he set his flaring glare to Yami and Marik. Alarmed at being the victim of the enraged male's anger, Yami put up his hands and blurted out, "Don't look at us, we didn't invite them!"

A small girl with blonde hair stepped out from the crowd, slowly moving her wooden arms as she explained, "Well, no one invited us, we were forced to come here."

"By who?"

"Lord Pegasus..." the wooden girl began, flinching and mumbling sadly, "He signed an eviction notice."

Heaving a loud sigh, Bakura shook his head, this would only happen to him. He gazed at the crowd and spoke, "Who knows where to find this...Pegasus?" There was a moment of silence before Marik grinned brightly, shooting up his hand and forcing Yami's up, "Oh~! We do! We do!"

Trying his best to ignore the hybrid, Bakura stared hopefully around at the crowd, almost praying someone else would raise their hand, anyone at all at this point, "Does anyone else know where he is? Anyone at all?"

"We do, we do, we do-" Marik continued to chant, waving his arm around, gaining several odd look from nearby creatures.

Sighing in defeat and his shoulders slumping, Bakura nodded, "Okay, fine!" Practically glaring at the crowd, he snarled loudly so everyone could hear, "Attention all of you, don't get too comfortable! Once I find this Pegasus guy, I'm kicking all of your asses out and back to wherever the hell you came from!" There wasn't a peep from the crowd before they broke out into loud and happy cheer, excited about the thought of returning back home. Turning his sharp gaze to Marik and Yami, he growled, "As for you, you're coming with me."

Marik nodded quickly, ears perked up and tail weaving with excitement, "Yes! C'mon Yami, we're off on an adventure!" He grabbed the magician's arm as he followed Bakura. The demon roughly yanked a torch out of a gnome's hand and headed out into the forest, the firelight glowing in his eyes. Marik continued to blabber on about whatever subject popped into his head, giving both Bakura and Yami a headache in the process.

...

There was the clapping of feet against stone as a man proudly strutted down the long hallway, his red suit standing out against the dull colored walls and silvery-purple hair. Behind him trailed a handsome brunet man with eyes as cold as his personality. The two paused in front of a tall door, two knights standing guard but instantly moved out of the way as they saw their lord, letting the two men easily pass. The man in the rich red suit, who was Lord Pegasus, easily opened the door, greeted with a hacking noise.

He let a deep smirk grow onto his face and he stepped forward, telling a man in a black mask, "I believe he's ready to talk." The masked male nodded and moved out of the way toward the wall, revealing a teenager strapped to a cold, metal table. His hair was thick and messy and a bright golden blond, a pair of dog ears laying atop his hair like it was hay. Pegasus sneered down at him like he was simply disgusted just by looking at him, "Okay, freak, are you ready to tell where the rest of you fairytale heathens are?"

The blond shook his head, straining against the shackles that held him down and barked at the lord, spitting in his eye, "Bite me, ya bastard!" He instantly had one of his limp ears yanked by the taller male, who warned, voice showing that he had all intentions of going through with his threat, "If you don't tell me, I'll chop off your ears, you mutt."

The blond glared back at Pegasus, teeth bared, "Do it, I dare ya!" But before any ears could be hacked off, there was a clang as the door was thrown open, shivering as it hit the cold wall, "My lord, we found it!" the captain of the guards declared, his eyes wide. Pegasus's face lit up, completely forgetting about the interrogation and said, "Well, what are you waiting for? Bring it in!"

Merely a few moments passed before two knights came in, carefully carrying a large object covered with a soft-looking cloth. As they neatly hung it up, the blanket was removed to reveal a beautiful mirror, extraordinary designs and marking etched into its frame. However, what amazed everyone was that a face soon appeared in the glass. The face seemed to be wearing a red hat and had a purple stand of hair sticking out from the rest of his brown hair.

Pegasus, keeping his enthusiasm, whispered excitedly, "Magic mirror..." The face tilted his head and interrupted, "Uh, actually my name is Rex." "Don't tell him anything!" the blond strapped to the table barked, beginning to struggle against his binds again. With a swift movement, Seto muffled his protests by putting his hand over his mouth, and even when he continued to struggle, one harsh glare from the brunet effectively shut him up.

Doing his best to block out what the dog-eared boy said, Pegasus continued speaking to the mirror, "Mirror, mirror on the wall, is this not the most perfect kingdom of them all?"

Rolling his eyes as he was still not called by his correct name, he answered slowly, "Well, technically you're not a king."

At that, Pegasus glanced at the black masked man, who pulled out a tiny hand mirror and shattered with it a punch, the shards of glass clattering to the ground. "You were saying?" the lord sneered, raising an eyebrow, expecting no more defiance. The face went pale, his eyes widening and he stuttered out, tripping over his words, "Well, wh-what I mean is, you're n-not a king, yet! Though, you can become one, all you have to do is marry a princess." He paused for a moment, then added, "...or prince, whichever sex you prefer."

Pegasus's dark eyes lit up at the thought, having a prince rule by his side, "A prince...what a marvelous idea. Carry on."

"Well, let's see. Hm...who would be right for you...?" After a few moments of quietness, the lord grew impatient and crossed his arms, shooting an irritated glare at the mirror in front of him. Noticing this, Rex exclaimed quickly, "Oh, I know! How about Prince Ryou?" His face faded away, swirling around only to be replaced by an image. The picture depicted a boy with a lovely, innocent face, pale skin, long ivory hair past his shoulders, and deep brown eyes like those of a doe. His expression was bored and lonely, staring out the window of a stone tower.

"Prince Ryou...he's perfect." Pegasus stated, his eyes staring at the picture until it faded away and Rex's face returned. "Though, he's kind of, you know, trapped in a tower guarded by a monster." Rex said, and he also tried to add something else, a hesitant look on his face, but Pegasus had turned away and ordered, "Captain, gather your best men! We're going to have a tournament."

...

There was rustling in a field and Bakura's figure stepped out, Yami and Marik following right after. Marik looked around curiously as they seemed to walk through a parking lot before all three pairs of eyes locked onto the massive castle that reached up into the sky, having a regal air to it as all castles should.

Marik's tail weaved around and he smirked, saying with a victorious tone, "See~? I told you I'd get us here!"

Acting as if the blond hadn't even spoken, Bakura turned his attention back to the castle, "So that's Lord Pegasus's castle, eh?" A smirk crossed his face and he glanced back knowingly at Yami and Marik, "You think he's compensating for something?" The demon snickered at his joke and began to head for the castle, his laughter continuing to follow him and drift in the air. Yami rolled his purple eyes as the immature joke while confusion was written all over Marik's face, he didn't seem to understand it. As the distance between them and the demon grew, Yami called out, starting to run after him, "Hey, wait for us!"

Bakura paused for a moment, not because the magician had told him to, but took the time to stare oddly at the turnstile that stood in his way. Rolling his eyes, he easily pushed through it, Yami quickly following. However, Marik didn't have all the grace of a feline so he somehow got stuck between the bars and as he struggled, the turnstile spun around completely, flipping Marik with it. The hybrid landed harshly on his stomach, his tail laying flat in pain. Opening his eyes, he smiled sheepishly as Bakura and Yami stared at him, rolling their eyes at his stupidity.

There wasn't a person in sight and there wasn't a sound, just the light howling of the wind. Yami scanned the courtyard, raising an eyebrow, "It's quiet..." he whispered, expecting the place to be bustling with life. "Too quiet..." added Bakura, his eyes glowing with suspicion, "Where is everybody?"

Right then, as if the world has been generous enough to answer the demon's question, the blaring of trumpets echoed proudly from the other end of the courtyard. The three wasted no time in rushing toward the sound, almost becoming a blur. They slowed down, looking around carefully as they went into a tunnel before entering a clearing, it seemed to be an arena with people crowding the seats. Bakura headed for some knights who were in a straight line and had all their focus on Pegasus, the man standing proudly atop a balcony with knights on either side of him.

His voice was loud enough to even be heard among the cheering and shouting of the crowd. He began proudly, placing his hands on the edge of the balcony, "This is to see which brave knight gains the honor...no, privilege, of rescuing the lovely Prince Ryou. If by the off chance the winner fails his quest, the runner-up will take his place...and so on and so forth." He gave an uncaring shrug of his shoulders, smiling to himself before continuing, "Some of you may die...but that is a sacrifice I am willing to make." Despite the horrible statement, the knights stood their ground and stood proudly as the crowd continued to jump with excitement, Pegasus finally declaring, "Let the tournament begin!"

But, it never began as Bakura pushed past the knights, finally stepping from their spot to put some distance between themselves the the demon. The crowd stopped cheering and began to gasp and stare in shock upon seeing the pale creature, a hybrid and magician following in behind him. Pegasus's dark eyes widened and his nose wrinkled in disgust, crying out, "Ugh! What is that?! It's hideous!"

Bakura gave a slight pout and crossed his arms, "Now that's not very nice..." He glanced back at Marik, who looked back at him, "It's just a hybrid." The blond behind him had a look of shock spread across his face, his jaw practically dropping and tail bristling with offense.

"...indeed." Pegasus stated, nodding and slightly amused by Bakura's sense of humor. With a snap of his fingers before pointing at the white-haired creature, the lord proclaimed, "Knights, new plan! The first one to kill the demon is the champion, kill him!"


	3. So Many Castles

Wow, 2 chapters in a day! Whew, and I might even upload another chapter today! Anyway, thank you for the reviews and enjoy~

-Echo

* * *

"Whoa now! Can't we discuss this over drinks?" Bakura lightly suggested, his back bumping into a table, grabbing a cup filled with alcohol. As he held it out, the crowd boo'd, a few chanting, "Kill the beast!". "No? Alright then~" The demon chuckled and took a swig of the drink before using it to bash the faucet on the nearby beer keg. A flood of beer rushed forward from the crack and knocked nearly every knight off his feet, a loud clang echoing in the stadium as their metal hit the stone ground. Naturally, Bakura had been swift enough to leap out of the way, cackling as his enemies fell.

In order to dodge some of the men who were after him, Marik leaped on top of another beer keg, smirking down at them like a cat in a tree at a dog. However, Yami used his magic to knock the keg off its perch, sending it rolling over several knights, Marik struggling to stay on by running forward and backwards as it moved, As the keg grew closer to a wall, Marik yowled and lunged at some nearby knights, claws stretched and teeth bared. Yami on the other hand was easily knocking those that attacked him with his staff, he wasn't even needing to use magic. Bakura was probably having the most fun out of the three, using his supernatural strength to throw the men into each other, using whatever weapons he could find and even took the souls of a few.

Before anyone knew it, the only ones left standing were the three creatures, standing proudly and looking at their work. Even the crowd had begun to cheer for them and Bakura smirked up at Pegasus. Though, it wasn't long before the knights up on the ledges aimed their bows at them, ready to fire at any moment.

"Should I give the order, sir?" asked the captain of the guard, keeping his eyes on his lord. Pegasus didn't answer before shaking his head and replying, "No, I have a better idea." A smirk also on his face, his gaze traveled over the crowd and raised his arms, declaring, "It seems we have a new champion!" The crowd gave out a collective roar of agreement, thought Bakura just furrowed his eyebrows in confusion, "What?"

Pegasus returned his dark gaze to meet the demon's scarlet one, "Good job, demon. You now have the honor to embark on a noble quest."

"Quest?" the white-haired male echoed before scowling, narrowing his eyes and declaring, "I'm already on a quest to get my land back!"

"Your land?"

"Yes, my land where you dumped all those fairytale creatures!"

The lord tilted his head, a plan forming in his mind, "Indeed. Alright, demon, I'll make you a deal. Go on this quest for me and I'll get rid of those freaks."

Silence rang in the stadium, Marik and Yami staring wide-eyed at Bakura. The demon thought this over before staring up at the man skeptically, "...what kind of quest?"

...

"So...let me get this straight," Yami started, walking through a field of tall and beautiful sunflowers with Marik and Bakura, "You're going on this quest to save a prince and fight a monster just to get back the land the guy who's making go on this stupid journey took over in the first place."

Bakura didn't look back at either of them and kept moving forward, "I thought I made it perfectly clear when I said keep the talking to a minimum."

Marik also questioned the demon, crossing his arms and tilting his head, "Why didn't you pull some of that demon shit on him? Murder him, slowly and painfully?"

The demon almost stopped in his tracks upon hearing the blond's argument, but shook his head, keeping his stern gaze ahead, "You know, you guys are really fucked up." As a retort, Yami narrowed his purple eyes and argued pointing an accusing finger at the taller creature, "You can't exactly be considered normal yourself. Evil maybe, but not normal."

"No talking."

"But-"

"No talking!"

...

The three traveled far to find the where the prince's prison was. Over seemingly endless meadows, through thick groves filled with green plants that were at every step, and through dark forests filled with venomous snakes and robbers. Most of the trip was simply Bakura yelling at Marik to shut up and Yami rolling his eyes the whole time. If the hybrid was busy chattering away about pointless stories, than he was stuck in some kind of predicament. He had the most trouble in the woods where he continued to trip on almost everything that littered the ground at one point he somehow was entangled in thick vines. Bakura didn't have much trouble getting him out though, just simply yanking the vines off with his strength. It was like that until they finally spotted a towering gray formation that stood out among the bright green.

The unusual trio trudged up the mountain, ash and soot being kicked up and floating in the air and Marik was lucky he didn't trip on one of the jagged rocks that rose from the ground like teeth.

The hybrid's nose wrinkled and he shook his head, whining, "Ugh, it reeks!" As he let out a small cough, Yami stated as if it were common knowledge, "It's brimstone, it means we're getting close." "Smartass..." Marik bitterly muttered under his breath, tired of Yami treating him like he was a toddler. After only a brief moment of silence, the bronze-skinned male hissed, feeling his shirt stick to his body, "Hey, is it hot in here or is it just me?" He was given an answer as Bakura's pale hand grabbed the back of his sable tank top and dragged him to the edge of the rocky cliff. Below them was a massive lake of bubbling lava, a very old and obviously untrustworthy bridge swaying over it. On the other ledge stood the castle, old and dark and ominous against the stormy sky.

Yami's eyes were wide as they reflected the glow of the fiery lava, "Uh...we're going there?" He gulped. "What, are you scared of heights~?" Bakura asked, his deep and raspy voice laced with a taunt.

"No, but as I am obviously the smartest one here, I'm just saying maybe going over a sea of lava on an old bridge may not be the best idea."

"Don't be such a wuss~" Marik teased before stepping onto the bridge without a second thought. It creaked under the sudden pressure, but the hybrid rushed across the bridge with his tail flowing out behind him like a blonde snake. Though it swayed as he dashed across, nothing broke and Marik stood proudly at the other ledge, calling out smugly, "Come on, Kura~ I know you're not scared of a fiery death, so hurry up!"

Pretending not to have heard the ridiculous nickname, he grunted and tightly gripped the back of Yami's shirt and began to drag him across the bridge. The magician's breathing quickened and he tried to struggle, crying out complaints and shouts of fear, but before he knew it he had reached the other side. Releasing him, Bakura rolled his eyes and began to walk toward the castle, "See? That wasn't so scary, you're just a pansy."

"I could throw you into the lava if I wanted to." Yami threatened, brushing off a few flecks of ash that had landed onto his shirt. "Shut up and keep moving." was Bakura's only reply and Marik and Yami obeyed, catching up to the pale demon.

"So where is this evil creature?" chirped Marik, his eyes blinking up at the stone castle.

"Don't you read? He's in the highest room of the tallest tower."

"..."

"...I was talking about the monster, Kura."

...

It was obvious from the moment they walked in that the castle had been ravaged by time and the monster. There were gaping holes in the wall, traces of lava could be seen glowing from cracks in the floor, and the air reeked of burnt metal and brimstone. Marik's purple eyes darted to every small thing he thought he saw move, ears twitching nervously and tail bristled out to twice its size. Trying to calm himself down, he began to mumble and ramble to himself, annoying his two companions.

"Being scared is okay, everyone gets scared. I'm...in a scary castle, it's okay to be scared. I'm not a coward- Umph!" Due to paying more attention to the shadows than what was in front of him, he walked straight into a suit or armor and he fell backwards, the armor falling apart on the floor with a clang and a helmet landing on his head. He let out a panicked yelp as he couldn't see, as the helmet was placed incorrectly on his head, but relaxed and blinked as Bakura yanked it off his head and putting it on his own. "Can't you shut up for like five minutes?" scorned Bakura, rolling his eyes in annoyance. Yami answered him with a bitter, "No, he can't. It's part of his annoying nature."

"You're pretty annoying too."

Ignoring Yami's shocked face and yell of protest, Bakura looked down at Marik who was still sitting on the dusty floor, "Now Marik, I need you to go and find some stairs."

The hybrid tilted his head, showing his confusion, "Why?"

"Hello," the demon bent down and harshly tapped his tan forehead, "It's not called the tallest tower for no damn reason. Now go, Yami and I will find the monster."

Marik instantly perked up, jumping to his feet and tail waving, "Right, you deal with the terrifying monster! I like this plan~" With a stupid grin on his face, he scrambled off to another part of the castle, trying his best not to crash into anything again. "Okay, find the stairs. All I have to do is find the stairs. They'll deal with the scary shit." Overly confident that he would be put in no danger, he easily pushed open wooden double doors that were cracked and worn with age. With a new carefree air to him, he didn't notice the shadow that seemed to follow him as he walked. A hand with long claws pressed against a wall and leathery wings were folded, ready to lift their owner into the air at any moment. The creature showed a remarkable resemblance to the hybrid it was stalking with bronze skin and platinum blonde hair. However, its was longer and straight, framing its face and a sharp-toothed grin shown in the darkness.

Stopping, Marik glanced around, frowning in confusion, "Where the hell are the stairs...?" Out of the shadows behind him, long claws snaked themselves onto his shoulders and a male, yet somewhat high-pitched ,voice whispered, "Welcome to hell."

With Yami and Bakura, they hadn't seen any sign of the monster, save for its previous victims that lay scattered across the ground. However, they did manage to see the stone tower through a massive hole in the wall that was most likely created by the monster.

"Guess we know where the Prince is..." Yami began, his voice unsure, "But where's the-?"

"MONSTER!"


	4. Meeting The Beauty and The Beast

This chapter is a bit shorter than the others, but that's because posting 3 chapters in a day takes a lot out of you. Ha~ Anyway, please forgive me and enjoy. Also, I own nothing~

-Echo

* * *

"MONSTER!"

Marik scrambled away from the monster's touch and darted past it, running as fast as his legs could carry him. Blood rushed in his ears and adrenaline pumped through his body, fear taking over as he heard the flapping of powerful wings behind him. "HELP!" he shrieked, praying his companions were nearby.

Yami and Bakura shared a quick look before nodding.

They ran in the opposite direction.

Feeling a clawed hand grab the back of his shirt, Marik yowled in panic and clawed at the air, fighting against the monster's tight grip. He felt his feet leave the ground, but after a blast of shining red magic flew through the air, his whole body made contact with it again. He grunted and quickly looked up, watching in shock as the monster flew straight for Bakura and Yami, wrapping a hand around each of their throats. As much as the two struggled and hit at the beast, it had a grip tighter than iron. His teeth were bared in a snarl as he flew through the air, his massive wings easily carrying him and his captives. All of a sudden, his claws loosened and Yami and Bakura crashed through the ruined roof of the tallest tower.

Meanwhile back on the ground, Marik had not taken the chance to flee, instead admiring the monster's strength and effeminate appearance. His lavender top revealed his midriff and went well with the leather pants that clung to him. As the monster turned his attention back to the awestruck hybrid, he couldn't help but notice his long hair and pretty purple eyes. Perhaps the reason he found him so attractive was because he looked so much like him. As common sense finally slapped him in the face that he was in danger, it was already too late as right then he had been snatched up by the beast and felt the wind in his face as he was carried off.

A smile laced Prince Ryou's pale face as he watched a male stand up from the debris, a rather dirty helmet hiding his face. Seeing another figure rise from the settling dust, who was remarkably shorter, the prince laid back down, closed his eyes and steadied his breathing, pretending to be asleep.

As Bakura's crimson eyes flickered to the bed, he spotted a beautiful boy that looked similar to him, but had an air of grace and charm to him rather than danger and ferocity. His shadow fell over the apparently sleeping boy, but right before he reached out to shake him awake, they were ambushed. "STAY AWAY FROM THE PRINCE!" Seemingly out of nowhere, a small boy with large amethyst eyes and tri-colored hair similar to Yami's leaped out and struck the back of Yami's head with a frying pan. The whacking sound made Bakura cringe and the magician collapsed with a loud groan.

Ryou gave up his act as Yugi had complete ruined it so he sat up with a frustrated sigh, "Way to kill the mood, Yugi." Shakily standing back up, Yami tenderly rubbed his throbbing head, growling, "What the hell?! That hurt!" "Shut up, Yami." hissed Bakura, looking back at Ryou and wanting to get out of there as quick as possible, "More importantly, are you Prince Ryou?"

Ryou's face lit up with a bright smile and he gave a curt nod, "Y-yes I am~ You're the first knight who has ever made it far enough to rescue me." Bakura rolled his eyes, not caring for formalities, "That's great, now let's go."

"But this is our first meeting, shouldn't it be romantic?"

The demon shook his head and grabbed the prince's pale wrist and dragged him unceremoniously toward the door, stepping over the debris.

"Hey, wait!" Yugi protested, clenching his fists and starting for Bakura, but he never reached him as Yami easily scooped him up and threw him over his shoulder. "Hey, put me down!" His face flushed red in embarrassment while his "kidnapper" simply grunted, "You better come with us too."

Ryou continued to struggle in Bakura's grip, surprised by the "knight's" unusual strength and behavior. "This isn't how you're supposed to do it!" the prince cried out, large eyes shimmering with confusion and disapproval, "You're suppose to sweep me off my feet, carry me out the window, down a rope and then we ride off on your valiant steed."

Dragging the whining prince down the stone, spiraling staircase with Yami closely following, he raised an eyebrow at Ryou, "You've had a lot of time to plan this, haven't you?" He nodded in response, giving a sheepish smile as they hurried to the bottom of the stairs. The two continued the conversation as Bakura picked up the pace.

"Hey, why aren't you doing something romantic? You could at least recite a poem for me."

"A poem? Ha, you're dreaming."

"Could I at least know your name?"

"...Bakura."

"Well sir Bakura, thank you very much for rescuing me. This is what I've been waiting for, for several years..." As Ryou trailed off, his eyes shining with memories, the powerful sound of flapping wings and a faint shriek echoed throughout the stone castle. "Wait...you didn't slay the monster?!" Ryou cried out in shock and horror, his eyes widening and jaw dropping open.

As Bakura broke out into a full out run, Yami struggling to keep up behind him and Yugi no longer trying to break loose of his grip, the demon growled, "I'm working on it, now hurry up!"

Ryou's pale hair flew out behind him as his feet nearly tripped over each other trying to match his rescuer's speed, "You're doing it wrong! You're supposed to run in, sword drawn, that's what all the other knight did!"

Nodding towards what was left of a knight in full body armor, Bakura scoffed, "And you see how well that turned out, right?" He finally came to a stop in front of a large wooden door, a sort of glow sneaking out from under it. "Hey, the exit's over there!" cried Yugi, who was still slung over the magician's shoulder and he pointed in another direction, large eyes showing how desperate he was to leave. "Yeah, but we have to save that poor bastard." Yami gave a kind smile to his smaller counterpart and gently set him down, to which Ryou replied, "You're horrible knights."

"Thank you." was Bakura's snarky reply that left his lips before he easily pushed open the door, finding himself on a balcony. Reaching the edge, he realized that the glow was emanating from both the chandelier that hung near him and the treasure that nearly completely covered the floor below. Marik's voice reached the demon's ears as he spotted the hybrid surrounded by shining, golden coins and a few jewels shimmering among them. His wrists were pinned to the ground by the same monster that had attacked them earlier and was ironically smaller than the hybrid.

"Hi, I'm Malik~" the monster's voice was practically a purr and his purple gaze was locked with his prey's. His body shaking with a nervous laugh, Marik replied, "I-I'm Marik...nice to meet ya! But...what are you?" His eyes flickered to the massive wings that cast shadows over the two before his was forced to look back at the monster's face as Malik grabbed the hybrid's chin. Giving a seductive smile, Malik tilted his head slightly, "I'm a succubus." "...but I thought all succubi were girls..."

"Heh~" Malik leaned his face in closer to the taller male's, an amused look on his bronze face, "Well most of us our, in face I'm the only male. But...you know...we have a thing for seducing men..."

Just then, Marik's cheeks lit up red and he struggled against the stronger blond, "H-hey, don't touch that, that's my tail!" "But it's so soft...~" the monster purred again, his eyes narrowed into mischievous slits, "And you're so sexy~ Wanna do- GAH!" Malik let out a pained shriek as a powerful force slammed into him, knocking him off the hybrid and skidding across the sea of treasure. "Let's go, Marik!" Bakura snarled and yanked him to his feet, wasting no time in dragging him to the door. Shaking off shock, Malik rose to his feet, his claws suddenly growing longer and he let out a battle cry.

From a low ledge, Yami jumped and landed neatly next to the two, both Ryou and Yugi slung over his shoulders like rag dolls. Upon seeing the strangers, Marik gave them a stupid smile, the fact that the monster was still alive completely slipping his mind, "Hi, I'm Marik." "Less talking, more running." Bakura demanded, yanking the blond's arm and rushing toward the exit as another one of Malik's battle cries ripped through the air and he spread out his wings, taking flight right after the intruders.

A loud screech sounded behind the group, "Give him back, I'll tear everyone of you to shreds!" As Bakura rushed toward the exit, he occasionally glanced back to check on Yami, making sure the magician didn't fall too far behind. If Yami died, so did the prince, and if that happened, the demon would never get his land back. He skidded to a halt and allowed the others to dash past him. As Yami set both Ryou and Yugi down, Bakura shook his head and commanded, "Go on ahead, I'll take care of the monster." Nodding, the magician raced outside with the others.

The demon turned around but didn't plan to face Malik head on, knowing there was no way he could win. Instead, the snatched up a nearby sword that had undoubtedly been left by another knight who had been foolish enough to try to use it against the monster. His body racing with adrenaline, he slammed the hilt of the sword into the closest pillar. Dropping the sword, hearing the stone give way under the heavy blow, he backed up and watched as it toppled right on top of Malik with a loud crash, the beast giving a scream of pain and he become invisible under the dust and debris, buried. 'Heh..." Bakura gave a triumphant smirk before making a mad dash for the rope bridge, calling out, "Let's go!"

They didn't take the time to think that such a weak bridge wouldn't be able to hold the weight of five people at one time. Just as Marik and Yami reached the other end, the rope snapped and crashed into the cliff face just above the glowing lava below. While Ryou let out a scream of fear, he managed to hang on. Thankfully, everyone had kept their grip tight and weren't knocked up by the force of the bridge hitting solid rock. After recovering from shock, Bakura managed to scramble up to his other companions, where he then pulled up the prince. As Yami pulled Yugi up onto solid ground, he grunted and commented, "For such a small boy, you sure are heavy."

"...I'll hit you again."


End file.
